A Pastor from the Jesus is The Answer Church in Mamelodi East, Gauteng who allegedlt raped a 13-year-old girl for over a year is set to apply for bail on Wednesday, 5 October 2022.
According to civil rights movement civil rights movement #NotInMyName the 13-year-old girl revealed that the Pastor has been secretly raping her for over a year while presiding over members of the church.
#NIMN TO OPPOSE BAIL OF MAMELODI PASTOR
#NotInMyName Secretary-General, Themba Masango said they will be at the Mamelodi Magistrates Court on Wednesday to oppose the bail application of the supposed Pastor who has been continuously raping a 13-year old child.
Masango said on Sunday 9 October 2022, they visited the church in Mamelodi in order to make members of the church aware of the crime that has been committed and to further encourage other members of the church to speak out.
“The aim is to make sure that the church understands that rape and Gender-based violence are a pandemic in this country. Furthermore, we demand that the church leaders and its members support us in our cause of making sure that the pastor faces the full might of the law.
“The church is meant to be a safe space for its members and source of spiritual revival for the community and yet this Pastor has bastardised the church by using it as a ground for hunting for victims of his lustful crimes.”
Themba Masango
The organisation further called upon members of the Jesus is The Answer Church to openly condemn the actions of such pastors who use the house of God to lure their victims.
“Our concern as a movement is that it took the victim over a year to speak out on the continued rape that occurred right under the churches nose. It is our firm belief that the church could have and should be doing more in acting as a safe space for victims of gender based violence and abuse to come and speak out.
“The church should foster an atmosphere of care and security particularly for women and children, who are the majority of the people who attend service every Sunday.”
Themba Masango
KZN CHURCH LEADER ABANDONS BAIL
A 56-year-old pastor from KwaZulu-Natal who made his first appearance at the Nquthu Regional Court facing five counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault abandoned his bail application.
The KZN Social Development Department said that the pastor allegedly lured children between the ages of 5 and 17 to watch cartoons before playing explicit content. This reportedly happened over a period of one year.
The pastor was caught when a boy reported the matter to his mother and provided details of the other victims. His mother went on to verify this information with other victims before she reported it to the police.
Spokesperson for the Department Mhlaba Memela has urged community members who are aware of other incidents to report them.
“The MEC encourages the parent that they must be friends with their children and listen to what their children say because it is shocking that it only came out on Sunday. But we what to encourage the community that they come together and work with the social workers,” said Memela.